Asia Cup T20 2016 Preview: Bangladesh

Bangladesh has had an eventful 2015. Series wins over South Africa, India and Pakistan epitomized a renaissance in Bangladesh cricket. The growth of the side since the World Cup 2011 has been quite astonishing. As they look forward to the Asia Cup T20 on home soil, there is certainly a lot to look forward to. Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim will be high on confidence following their exploits in the PSL.

Team News

Pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been named in the squad. Mustafizur, who missed the PSL with a shoulder injury will be raring to go in the upcoming Asia Cup T20. Dashing opener Tamim Iqbal has been left out of the squad. Imrul Kayes has been named in his place. Al-Amin Hossain, Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed will be expected to support the fiery Mustafizur. Skipper Mashrafe Mortaza will also have Abu Hider and Nurul Hasan at his disposal.

Batting Strengths

The return of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim adds solidity to the backbone of the batting order. Mahmudullah will also add the firepower towards the close of the innings. Imrul Kayes and Mohammed Mithun will also be expected to fire for the Bangladeshis as they take on their biggest test on home soil yet. Tamim Iqbal has been surprisingly left out of the squad.

Bowling Strengths

Apart from the rest of the bowling attack, the return of Mustafizur Rahman has been immensely important for Bangladesh. Mustafizur will be the key while he will be supported by Taskin Ahmed and Mashrafe Mortaza. It has also been observed that the wins in the last few series have been attributed to fine bowling performances from the Bangladesh seam attack. That said, the bowling attack seems to be in touchwood condition.

Previous performances

Bangladesh reached the final of the 2012 edition of the Asia Cup. However, they were beaten in the final by Pakistan by 2 runs, this was their best performance in the tournament.

Fixtures

February 24^th – Bangladesh v India, Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka

February 26^th – Bangladesh v Qualifier, Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka

Squad

Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Shakib al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahmudullah, Imrul Kayes, Mohammed Mithun, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Nassir Hossain, Al-Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Arafat Sunny, Abu Hider, Nurul Hasan